Dec 30 Open thread: Ode to Freedom

Are you old enough to remember 1989? When the world was breaking out in freedom, and history seemed to have taken a decided turn towards peace?

Now, at the end of 2016, it's hard to remember those halcyon days with anything but what we call in Spanish "angustia". It seems we're so far away from that promise, where our old enemy Russia seemed poised to become a democratic ally.

But, we're humans, and holding onto that hope is what defines us. One of the defining moments of that time was when the late, great Lenny Bernstein led a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Berlin. And the symphony's final movement, the Ode to Joy, was renamed the Ode to Freedom.

As this difficult year comes to its end, let's remember that hope, and vow to recreate it in these dire times.